Creating Successful Partnerships in Teacher Education

Transcription

1 Florida Association of Teacher Educators Journal Volume 1 Number Creating Successful Partnerships in Teacher Education Gloria M. Laureano University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida Jennifer Platt University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida CORE (Creating Opportunities and Resources for Educators) is a collaborative partnership with a school district, community college (a Hispanic serving institution), and a metropolitan research university. The area where the school district is located has a growing Hispanic population and is experiencing a critical shortage of teachers. The purpose of the CORE program is to facilitate the educational preparation of teachers in the school district by providing convenient and flexible course schedules, financial support, academic support, and student services to assist CORE student participants with a successful transition through the bachelor s program in education. The program values are trust, commitment, support, innovative instructional delivery, excellence in education, and economic development. These values are the foundation upon which the CORE program is built. The partners in this collaborative effort provide the structure, venues, facilities, and human resources to deliver a nationally accredited and recognized program to CORE student participants. An important element in the successful transition of students through graduation is the academic support student services offered to CORE participants. Creating Successful Partnerships in Teacher Education Nationally the critical shortage of teachers has continued to increase and statewide, Florida has continued to experience a shortage of qualified teachers to educate the growing young population in the state. According to Gonzalez (1999), the U.S. Department of Education predicted that approximately two million teachers will need to be hired in the next ten years. Although the need for new teachers has increased, colleges and universities have not been able to meet the demands for new teachers. In the state of Florida, all eleven state universities have teacher education programs that graduate thousands of new teachers each year. Yet, these numbers are not sufficient to fill the

2 175 Florida Association of Teacher Educators Journal 2003 instructional vacancies throughout the state. Many factors have contributed to this problem in states like Florida. First, the number of teachers retiring each year has continued to increase and the enrollment of children in schools has also increased. Second, the state of Florida, like many other states, has passed legislation allowing for the development of alternative certification methods by school districts to help with the teacher shortage problem. Third, the state has increased course requirements to teacher education programs, which has impacted the time to degree completion of many who pursue these programs at the universities. The state's response to alleviate teacher shortages has focused on "quick fixes" that long-term can create larger problems in the state's educational system. There is one missing factor in the equation to help with the critical teacher shortage, which is the incentive of collaboration to help children in schools succeed. The state's strategic location of its public universities and community colleges provides the opportunity for these institutions to work together in the preparation of quality teachers who will stay in the area and help alleviate the teacher shortage. Description of the CORE Program The CORE (Creating Opportunities and Resources for Educators) program is a collaborative partnership formed by a metropolitan research university, a community college (a Hispanic serving institution), and a school district with a growing Hispanic population that has been experiencing a critical shortage of teachers. Cognizant of the needs in the community, the Superintendent of the School District of Osceola County, the President and Provost of Valencia Community College, Osceola campus, contacted the Dean and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Education at the

3 Gloria M. Laureano & Jennifer Platt 176 University of Central Florida to work together towards a solution that would assist the Osceola county community with its critical shortage of qualified teachers. The resulting partners convened as a group with representatives from each partner and the Foundation for Osceola Education, Inc. to develop the CORE program. The purpose of the CORE program is to address the shortage of qualified teachers by assisting non-instructional personnel in the district to purse an undergraduate degree in education. The rationale to focus on the educational preparation of non-instructional personnel was the result of a careful analysis of the needs of the county as well as the expressed interest of those individuals in the teaching profession. The reason to target non-instructional personnel for this program is because they have been working as paraprofessionals or clerks in the school system and they understand the commitment to have quality teachers in the classroom to help children succeed. Since its inception, the CORE program has focused on the recruitment and retention of participants to become qualified teachers in Osceola County. The components of the program resulted from the partners' commitment to facilitate the process of preparing non-instructional personnel, who as a whole represented a group of non-traditional students, for teaching positions in the county. The components are a seamless transition, convenience, and student support. A seamless transition through graduation ensures that the curriculum leading to the associate's and bachelor's degrees includes state requirements for certification. Equally important to the transition are the course loads for each semester in the program and the co-advisement of students in the program. The co-advisement by community college and university advisors for CORE student participants has been instrumental,

4 177 Florida Association of Teacher Educators Journal 2003 particularly as students have transferred from the community college to the university. Advisors understanding of student development theories and students' successful rates in certain academic courses assist academic administrators in identifying ways to best help students succeed. An example of this is the course loads for students to complete as a cohort each semester. The committee of partners determined that during the fall and spring semesters students would complete two courses (6 credit hours) and during the summer term they would complete three courses (9 credit hours). Non-traditional students are typically working adults with family responsibilities who can only attend college or university on a part-time basis. The CORE students fit into this definition, therefore, their course loads were limited as explained. The second component of the program is having convenient access to courses. The geographic location of Valencia Community College in Osceola County, has allowed students easy access to complete the first two years of the bachelor's program through an articulated associate's degree program at the community college. Upon completion of the associate's degree, university courses are offered for these students at the community college by qualified faculty from UCF's College of Education. In addition to the accessibility factor, the program also provides alternative and innovative delivery methods of instruction with minimal interruptions to the students' professional careers. Lastly, internship opportunities for students in the program are available within Osceola County. The third component of the program is the student support offered to CORE student participants. This support has come through mentoring opportunities, financial assistance, academic support (tutoring), facilitation of cohort and group activities, and

5 Gloria M. Laureano & Jennifer Platt 178 technology assistance. Mentoring is an important tool to help recruit and retain students. Each CORE student is assigned a teacher mentor who provides professional support through the completion of the undergraduate program. The financial support for CORE students has been a concerted effort of the School District of Osceola County and the Foundation for Osceola Education, Inc. The Foundation has paid the tuition of students for the first two years while they have completed the associate s degree, and the school district has paid the tuition for the second two years as they completed the bachelor s degree. These three sources have been instrumental for students to stay in the program to achieve their educational and career goals. Tutoring assistance has been available from the school district and the community college as students have completed lower division requirements for the program and in preparation to pass the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) required for admission into the College of Education at the university. When the higher education institutions were considering alternative and innovative instructional delivery methods, technology became an important tool to facilitate this process. Valencia Community College provided computers for those CORE students who did not have access to technology at home. All of these components and services have been conducted in a concerted effort to facilitate the cohort concept of this program. Throughout this educational process courses, services, co-advisement workshops, and celebrative activities have taken place in Osceola County for the convenience of the CORE students. Student Services for CORE Program The partners in this program recognize that advising is an important element of student success. Both higher education institutions have included on the advisory committee representatives from their units that provide the critical elements that help

6 179 Florida Association of Teacher Educators Journal 2003 students transition from one institution to another in a seamless manner. Co-advisement workshops are scheduled regularly at the community college to provide CORE student participants with critical information for their admission and successful transition to the university. The focus of these workshops included a brief orientation to requirements for admission, pre-requisites advisement, pre-admissions advisement, and a "decision day" admissions workshop. The partners in this collaboration are committed to ensuring that students are not required to travel to the main campus of the University of Central Florida until it is time for graduation. Therefore, the University's admission team has offered the assistance of an Admissions/Registration representative to review and make an admissions decision on the spot for CORE students at the community college. After students complete the admissions process to the university, they attend an orientation program which is delivered at the community college. As part of the orientation program, the university and faculty advisor are available to provide a full orientation to the CORE students. Orientation is important to students as they prepare to enter a new institution. The university and the College of Education recognize that the information presented at orientation will help students learn about the expectations of the institution as well as the services that are available to them as university students. In order to facilitate the successful transition through upper level courses and in preparation for the teaching profession, a faculty advisor from the education discipline is designated to work with the students in the program as well as teach many of the courses in the discipline at that campus. The university's commitment to have faculty serve as advisors has been an important factor in this program. Having a faculty advisor helps students connect with their profession and understand the rigorous demands of the classes within

7 Gloria M. Laureano & Jennifer Platt 180 the program. Although the faculty advisor has been assigned to these students, the university advisor continues to serve as a liaison to both the students and the faculty member. The students in the first CORE cohort group have successfully transitioned to the university, and as they prepare to complete their first internship, arrangements for an internship application and waiver process workshop is conducted with the Director of Clinical Experiences in the College of Education at the community college where students complete their university courses. Accommodations have been made to review students' applications and their work experiences as substitution for internship I placement. The CORE program has provided convenient student services for student participants because of the commitment of the partners to be innovative while preserving excellence in education. The program's values of trust, commitment, support, innovative instructional delivery, excellence in education, and economic development have served as a guide the delivery of services to students in the program. The regular co-advisement meetings contributed to earning the trust of the students that the partners are committed to help them succeed through this program by achieving their educational and career goals. The services offered through convenient scheduling of courses, tutoring assistance, and informative workshops with the college and university advisors and the College of Education administration exemplify the support offered from all partners. Furthermore, the selection of the school district to work with the two higher education institutions recognizes the excellence in education that these institutions have been known for in the community which is in the end what the school district thrives for its students. The added

8 181 Florida Association of Teacher Educators Journal 2003 economic development that this program brings to the community by increasing the number of college prepared citizens in the county will have long-term positive effects for the county and Central Florida area. These values have guided the services to CORE students because through the advisement process students are informed of critical information that will help them succeed and ultimately achieve their academic potential. Conclusion The CORE program has worked because the partners have made the commitment to produce a highly qualified teaching force by providing the structure, venues, and human resources to help teacher candidates succeed, thus helping to relieve the shortage of qualified teachers in the district. The collaboration of these partners is best described in the following testimonials from several student participants. The CORE program has been a miracle for me. I thought it would take ten years to earn my degree. With the assistance of CORE, it will only take me four years. Classes are structured around our work schedules, which alleviates a great amount of stress for us. In addition, classes are held at VCC so they are much more convenient for us. I am truly thankful for this wonderful opportunity. This program is helping me to fulfill my dream. I am forever grateful. (Marcina) The CORE program has given me an opportunity to fulfill my dreams of becoming a teacher. The schedule is convenient and flexible. Plus, all of the classes, including UCF classes, are offered in Osceola County. The people involved with the CORE program are wonderful. They are all very helpful and really care. It is a great program for anyone who wants to become a teacher. (Cheryl)

9 Gloria M. Laureano & Jennifer Platt 182 I would like to thank the district and all those involved and committed to the CORE program for the support give to the participants!! We are off and running, finding support not only from the CORE team, but also from professors and each other. (Patty) The CORE program offers one an opportunity to work towards a degree in education while supporting you every step of the way. The professors are most supportive and understanding of the undertaking we have chosen. A class with others who are in the same situation of balancing work, school, and family life makes for a wonderful support network. The School District of Osceola County, Valencia Community College, and the University of Central Florida, and those of us who are dedicated to getting an education makes the CORE program a win-win situation for everyone involved. (Sue) The CORE program has offered a lot of flexibility and information that has helped me greatly. This program has been a great opportunity for me. The professors have been very understanding and helpful. The faculty and staff are great! (Sally) I m so proud to be a member of this resource for educators. I m looking forward to taking advantage of this great opportunity. (Isabel) This program has been successful for the reasons stated by its student participants and because a collaboration was formed by key educational institutions representative of the state to work together toward solving the problem of a critical teacher shortage in a

10 183 Florida Association of Teacher Educators Journal 2003 school district. This model is unique to the region because it is student-centered which is a core value of the partnership.

11 Gloria M. Laureano & Jennifer Platt 184 References Gonzalez, H. (1999, October). The teacher shortage in Texas: How are school districts coping? Paper presented at the annual conference on School University Partnerships, San Antonio, TX. (Eric Document Reproduction Service No. ED ) Author Note Gloria M. Laureano, Ed.D., is director for the Office of First Year Advising and Exploration at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida Jennifer Platt, Ed.D., is Professor of Special Education and Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Education at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. Copyright 2003: Gloria M. Laureano, Jennifer Platt, and University of Central Florida Article Citation Laureano, G. M., & Platt, J. (2003). Creating successful partnerships in teacher education. Florida Association of Teacher Educators Journal, 1(3), Retrieved from